Legendary 7-100 Review

The ultimate portable amplifier. Powered by six pen light batteries or by an AC 9 volt converter (optional), which can be stored inside the amplifier case. Pignose brings the portability of an acoustic to electric players. You can even sling it over your shoulder on your guitar strap. Get tones from clean to hog-filth with the turn of the coolest volume knob in the world.

Legendary 7-100
Reviewed by:
TheHeartbreaker, on november 04, 2005 7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 74.5

Features: I got this amp as a present for Christmas to take along with me on vacation or during soccer tournaments. I play classic rock and blues, and this amp is perfect for learning the songs, but not necessarily performing them. It has a on/off knob shaped like a pig's nose (hense the name), that adds (minor) distortion the louder the amp goes. While anything can be hooked into it (electric guitar, bass, microphone, and yes electric kazoo), which is good for pedals, it doesn't come with any other controls except the on/off knob. Since I use it at home/on vacation, I don't need much power, which on this is only 5 watts. If you have a friend present, you can have them unhatch the box and continually open and close the amp to give off a wah-wah effect. Because it's a practice amp, it shouldn't be expected to have an assload of settings, but it can allow potential for a lot of stuff. // 9

Sound: As I said, I play classic rock and blues, but mainly the stuff I play doesn't require too much distortion, which is good because without an effects pedal, this amp doesn't achieve much distortion. Thankfully, even at "full blast" you can't hear much feedback. Also as previously said, with the help of a friend you can create wah effects or just hook some pedals up. For a practice amp, I think it can achieve a good volume and because it doesn't get heavily distorted, I think it's great for learning new songs to make sure every not you're playing is right. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have yet to drop this amp. Um, really, I can't complain with this thing. I've carried it around, drove it in the car, everything's fine with it. It runs on batteries but they don't get burnt out easily, and if you really hate batteries, buy an adapter. // 10

Overall Impression: Basically this amp is a great practice amp. It looks pretty sweet, even though it's really small. It does everything that I need it to do when I'm using it, which is great. If it was stolen, I'd track down the ugly ass bitch and rape his ass. It it was lost, I'd definetly buy a new one. // 9

Legendary 7-100
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on october 05, 2006 2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Features: This is kind of an unfair category for this amp, as its very design is based off of simplicity. I guess I'll have to rate it based on the few features it has. What the Pig does, it does extremly well. The one knob (and the knobs on your guitar and bigger amp if you use the Pig as a pre-amp) is really all you need. As you turn the knob up, the amp gets lounder and more distorted, and you can tweak this level with your guitar's volume and tone knobs. It has an output jack for use as a pre amp, another function it fufills admirably. My Peavy Valve King never sounded so funky! The amp has strap buttons on the sides so you can sling it like you would your axe, and you can open the sucker up to put stuff inside of it. The only lacking thing is a headphone jack, but this amp sounds so cool, you just need to let people hear it. The small size lets you take it anywhere, it fit into my backpack and locker just as snug as anything. The Pignose will not acually turn on unless you have a cable plugged into the input jack. This means no battery drainage if you accidently forget to turn it off! Just unplug the guitar from the amp. // 9

Sound: I use this with my P90 loaded Godin LG, and it makes that guitar sound ten times better than it does with any of my other amps! Dailing in wicked distorted or smooth blues feels natural and you never have to work very hard to get the tone you want out of it. This is a LOUD amp, even with it's small size, and the speaker never breaks up in bad ways even when it's cranked (if you use this as a bass amp, it's advised that you don't set the knob too high, any other instrument can go crazy as much as they like with it). A cool thing you can do is open up the amp to get a more 3D sound out of it, I prefer this, myself, but other guitar players might prefer it closed. The high distortion is almost too extreme, at least for my guitar, which is not really built for high gain. The Pig responds to different guitars in different ways, and each guitar's personality can really Shine through. Clean chords and notes sounded a little sour, but that's the fault of my guitar and my playing, and not the amp, otherwise, clean or lightly crunched tones are as good as you'll get in this amp range. A fun thing to do is to get a friend to rapidly open and close the amp when you play, making a sort of wah-wah effect. (The manual that comes with the amp acually suggests that! What a crazy company). I hooked up a regular CryBaby Wah to the Pig and it rocked out, I'm sure most other effects will work fine, as well. For truly customizble tones without a lot of work, the Pignose can't be beat. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Pignose hasn't changed the design of these things in forty years, so it must be working out pretty well. The electronics are, of course, updated, but the basic outline of the amp has remained the same. Many notable musicians (Frank Zappa being the most notable) have used this as their main amp or as a pre amp, and I can see why. This durable little Pig could, with a little care, last you a lifetime, and probably longer if you leave it aboveground for your kids. I'd reccomend getting the 9V adapter for home use, as you want those batteries fresh for gigs and practices. It's covered in a snazzy leather (probably not real, but meh) case and has metal corners and a sturdy metal handle. I do think it is built to last. My only concern is perhaps that if you leave something sharp in the amp itself, you might damage the speaker cone. Not really the amp's fault, though, just yours or mine! The strap buttons also felt a little flimsy, so I'd get those upgraded if you plan on taking this thing on any big walks. A DIY method of doing this could probably be found pretty easy. Lost or stolen? I'd maim the guy Who stole it, and if I lost it, I'd maim myself. Then buy a new one. Maybe a few for my friends. // 9

Overall Impression: This Pignose has probably been my best amp purchase in a long time. I can't wait to play with it again. I can't even be near the thing without wanting to plug it in or open it up or just look at it. It's that awesome. A friend called it "adorable", then I plugged it in, and he heard it, and his "adorable" line died right there. This little piggy had rawk! A fantastic practice amp, a durable travel amp, a flexible main or pre amp, a fantastic first amp for those just starting guitar journys of their own, and you can amp whatever you want in it (shouting your crazy socialist rants from street corners has never been so easy). // 10

Legendary 7-100
Reviewed by:
Alex The Red, on may 15, 2007 2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 80

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The amp was made fairly recently by (what I think to be) immigrant workers in Hong Kong. It's a great blues/classic rock which is about all I use it for. It's a single channel SS design with only a volume knob which is used to control both volume and gain. It's powered by either 6 AA batteries or a 9v adaptor atachment. Plus the amp opens up allowing you turn it from a closed back amp to an open back (also handy for adjusting your tone or as use as a crude waah waah). I've even carried sandwiches inside the compartment on the odd day (just in case I ever get hungry) inside a very sealed plastic bag of course. As for features, it'd be really nice if Pignose also sold a version where they added some tone knobs maybe even some tremolo or reverb. With the knobs on the inside to not spoil it's look but fortunately in case you're craving some more customization to your Pignose tone, it features a line out where it can serve as the preamp for an even larger amplifier. Really good for improving the sound on your SS amp. As for where I use this amp? I use it everywhere. In my house, my garage, while on my couch watching TV, at school. It has two buttons for attaching any old guitar strap so I pretty much carry it anywhere and everywhere. // 8

Sound: The sound I have to say goes from Muddy to Creamy. The cleans on this are pretty bad. Two much mid and bass and not enough treble. and with an old fashioned LP or just about anything with humbuckers? Don't count on it, this thing will only make it muddier. But grab yourself just about any Fender guitar or something with single coils and this thing will impress. Using even my imitation strat I can effortlessly get a very good creamy overdrive sound perfect for (you guessed it) Cream/Eric Clapton songs and even for some Steve Howish tunes. From warm cleans to overdriven goodness it'll do it. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Well I got this about a week ago. Played it about 3/4 hours a day which would average up to about 24 total and this thing has already crapped out on me. I've never dropped it or put it in a bucket of water or have mistreated it in any way yet the distortion has reduced to a very flabby/tinny sound and the volume fades in and out. Oh well, I'll be taking it back to guitar center tomorrow to get a new one. Lucky for me it hasn't been 30 days. So that goes to show you. On foreign made products (excluding Japanese made of course) always buy the extra two year warranty. It they don't offer you any? then don't buy it. or if you really need to have one, buy two. // 4

Overall Impression: This is a good blues/classic rock amp. Especially for practice. It'll go just about anywhere and everywhere with you. really great for single coil guitars. not so much for humbuckers. I've been playing for a total of about 3 years (seriously only about the past year or so). I play mainly prog./classic rockish/bluesy stuff but I'm versatile enough to be able to shift genres to accommodate the odd punk drummer or thrash guitarist. If it was lost or stolen I'd most definately buy another one (especially at only 80 bucks it's a steal). I love the creamy/bluesy sound I can coax out of it. I hate how it's impossible for me to get anything else. My favorite feature would have to be how the volume knob emulates tube amp dynamics a bit (volume up until about 12 o'clock then it mainly adds just more gain). I compared this to other battery powered amps and this beats them all. Especially for the price. Who wants to spend more then $80 on a practice amp. // 8

Legendary 7-100
Reviewed by:
BluesMichael, on january 12, 2015 2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 75

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The Legendary 7-100 does not include much features, but for the price it has a nice leather body and it has a little volume peg shaped like a pigs nose. When it is turned where it looks like a normal nose it is off. But sadly it does not include batteries or and AV cable. It needs 6 double a batteries to work or it need to be hooked up to an AV cable.

You are able to open the amp though almost like a suitcase. It has a hook think that you open to get inside of it. It has enough room to store cords but no effect pedals. Also the box comes with a couple of stickers for your car and or guitar. For the price I got what I deserved. It even has strap buttons on it to. // 10

Sound: It does not suit all music styles. It has a dirty sound for blues and some (not all) rock music. I myself love the sound. I use it to learn songs by ear. And it's note ability to make each note sound is great. I could even put it really close to me for critical song parts like solos and such. In all it has a great sound for street performers, to recording your own songs. It has a cool feature for people who can't afford a guitar wah wah pedal (like me) to make this effect a friend just opens and closes the amp as you play and it makes a pretty awesome effect. One really annoying thing about the sound is it isn't really loud so it would actually needs its own microphone at gigs. It could be a new band member Mr. Pignose. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I really like the reliability of this amp. Once it fell off my bed and it was fine. The hardware inside the case is well protected and it's fine. If you plan on using it at a gig check the batteries and rock out. I really love this amp. The finish on it is fine it is leather so it might ware after the years but that will just give it an old time look. I really think this guitar would be good for live playing because it sounds good when I jam to songs that I learn by ear. The body of this amp is also made so you can play it outside. It used to be used by old time rockers a long time ago. // 10

Overall Impression: I play about any style of music and this suits me. I do not own very much gear but I do have a distortion pedal and it works fine on the amp. If it were stolen or lost I would get another one. I love the easy use and movement of this amp. I sometimes hate it sound though. I really wish it came with a strap but I love it. Compared to my old amp it is way better. More durable, better sound, better style, and just better features. For the price of this amp though I wish it came with its own batteries and AV cord though. But I have only been playing for a year so it's great for beginners and even advanced players. // 8

Legendary 7-100
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on june 16, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 12

Purchased from: flea market

Features: Made I would guess in the seventies, because its serial # is in the 28000's. This amp is rather versatile, you can get some good, if not quiet, clean sounds out of it with the volume down on the guitar. With the volume all up on both amp and guitar, you can get some great lead grittyness, and backing off a bit gives you fantastical classic rock tone. Only one knob which, when rotated, turns the amp on, but this is one of the versatile practice amps in the world (see Talos basic for versatile). I use this amp in my bedroom, and for me it has plenty, if not too much power at its tiny three watts. It has a preamp out for driving a 4 x 12 through your favorite head, and a little cabinet inside to store an adapter, a set of picks, and a strap or short cord. For what I payed, I would not sell it for anything less than enough to buy the exact same one again. I think that the one thing that would make it better is a headphone output. I have yet to use it with batteries, as mine came with an adapter. Even with the headphone gripe, it still nets a 10. // 10

Sound: This amp sounds fantastic. you can use it to get anywhere from light blues overdrive to "Sweet Child O' Mine" intro to classic Brian May tone (not those weird operatic squeals, though), quite an accomplishment without a treble boost. This suits my classic rock/blues/blues rock style perfectly. Why, I can even dip into the old "Crazy Train" tone, if I hit it hard enough. For a one channel, one knob amp, I would definately use it anywhere, even gigging. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on it 100 percent. If I were in a hair metal band and doing townshend leaps and rolling on the floor like Jimi, I'd put it out of harm's way. The strap buttons are better than those on my guitar. I would practically run a Marathon with it on without a second thought. That being said, I generally need straplocks, as I am paranoid. Guitars have near broken with me, and I wouldn't worry about this breaking on the fall down. It's got metal corners to lessen the impact, and its about 1/4 in plywood cover is very hard. My one gripe, which isn't directly anyone's fault, is that when I played loud, I heard a raggedness that turned out to be the word "Pignose" on the speaker grill vibrating. A dab of plastic cement fixed that in a jiffy, and it sounded great for happily ever after. // 10

Overall Impression: I love this bugger to death. I would maybe even run some FX and a PA and rock a stadium with it. This would make me the coolest ever. Imagine, all those roadies unloading the Marshall fullstacks for backline, and I owuld just pick up my little pig and rock. I have been playing about 2 years, but only seriously for about 9 months. If stolen or lost, I would turn manic depressive, lock myself in a closet, and listen to some emo music until it was returned, or go buy a new one. I could never sell it, unless Pignose comes out with one with a headphone output. // 10

Legendary 7-100
Reviewed by:
FBXZ2, on july 28, 2011 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 80

Purchased from: Factory President

Features: 2011 amp new made in Hong Kong purchased from the President of Pignose amps. I got to meet the president of Pignose amps Howard Chatt in Las Vegas. He also filled me in on some of the history of the amp and some new products that are currently in production. These Pignose amps are one of the greatest compact "green" practice amps on the planet. It is the closest thing to a tweed Champ that you can get and then some. All the appointments and features have been established over the years. I also owned an orginal California made Pignose 7-100 back in the late 70s. Nothing has changed in over 35+ years. The Pignose Switch feels the same as the origial ones (nice). Same everthing. // 10

Sound: This little piggy is what it is, a legendary practice amp. It has the Fender tweed 5F1 sound and sounds very classic with single coils and does well with humbuckers also. It has great sustain, no effect pedals needed. Better than a Champion 600 IMO. I also owned a 64 Tolex 5F1, and this little piggy is able to sound like a 5F1 Champ with the same dynamic tone at a lower volume. With the ability to close the cabinet it can do more tones than any amp of it's size. I love the ability to alter the gain with pick attack, something most solid state and modeling amps lack. // 10

Reliability & Durability: These little piggys are built to last. The construction is the same as I remember it back in the 70s. And the cabinet seems to have a beveled fit that the originals did not have. This seems more sturdy, and makes it a more tight and solid fit. Only maintenance is battery replacement, unless you use the 9V adaptor. // 10

Overall Impression: This is one great little amp. Pignose 7-100 has a tweed Champ tone if that's what your into. It's been about 30 years since I played through a Pignose 7-100. My original was stolen, and I have played and owned many practice amps over the decades, and I re-discovered this little piggy about a month ago searching the youtube. IMO this little piggy is better than most practice amps because of the touch dynamics, pick attack, and tweed Champ tone. If I want to sit or stand in one place and be attached to an amp in one location for practice I would use a class A/B tube amp for practice. However, I like the Pignose's compact size, solid build, great tone, and portability. It serves me well when I want to stay cool, move around the house, save some electricity, lay back and just mess around on the guitar during a HOT summer day. It beats turning up a fan to cool down a HOT running 12 or 15 watt tube at home in the summer. // 10

I love my Pignose. Little fickle with pedals, but a Piggy with the door open and a Vox V847 about 75% down and left there makes for THE NASTIEST distortion you ever heard in your life. Not a modern-metal Triple Rectifier type distortion, but ugh with that sound already anyway - it's played out, people.